Chick 1 says:

Very excited about this time traveling romance from Richard Curtis and I was not disappointed

I love most of what Curtis has written.  Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, the screen play for Bridget Jones’ Diary, even a lovely little episode of Doctor Who (which I secretly hope got him thinking about time travel for this one).  I knew he’d bring heartwarming humor, romance, and poignancy with just the perfect amount of British snark.

I don’t want to spoil the story.  Just know that Gleeson and Nighy play father and son in a family where the men can travel in time.  What’s lovely is that Gleeson’s character is such an ordinary bloke with an ordinary life.  This is what Curtis does best, embracing both the immense value and the heartbreak of things that we all experience.

Up and comer Domhnall Gleeson (Hi, Bill Weasley!) carries the burden of this story on his skinny but capable shoulders.  Rachel McAdams is enchanting and her chemistry with Gleeson is sweet.  And for heaven’s sake, go see anything Bill Nighy is in.  Anything, I tell you!  Don’t argue; just watch it!

Bottom Line: Bring your tissues and leave feeling inspired to enjoy your life without the benefit of time travel.

Chick 1 says:

The idea of this movie always intrigued me.  Seemed like a good idea but the more I saw of the ads the more the movie itself seemed…meh.  Unfortunately, my suspicions were accurate.

First let me say that Oz is gorgeous.  The sets, costumes, and most of the visual effects are a treat.  There are a lot of great ideas here, some clever thoughts on how the Wizard came to be.  And I have to admit the final resolution was satisfying.  But getting there was a slow painful trip.

One of the biggest problems is the combination of James Franco and his character and I’m not sure which is the real problem.  Yes, Oz (Oscar Diggs) is a self-centered, ambitious, amoral con-man but lots of protagonist start off in that condition.  That’s usually the point of a good story, that the hero should grow and learn.  But there is so little to like in Oz and it’s a long time into the movie before we see some sincerity in him.  Even his early attempts to be “good” are motivated by self-survival and personal gain. And as we get closer to the end when Oz is supposed to be maturing, Franco’s acting just comes across as smarmy.  What I assume was supposed to be a sweet smile just made me go, “Ew, stop.”

It seems the filmmakers are trying for a type of fantasy sweetness with a nod to old style acting but it makes the film lack subtlety.  You can have a sweet-tempered good and evil story but still have layered and textured characters.  Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch is OK.  Her acting is fine and the character does occasionally have a clue but toward the end she descends in “I believe in him. Blah blah blah.” territory and completely confirms Mel Brooks’ theory that  ”Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.”  This especially applies to poor Mila Kunis who flounders around like Natalie Portman in the Star Wars movies, a case of good actress with crappy script/direction.  Even just a few minutes after meeting her I was thinking, “Can a witch be this stupid?”  Rachel Weisz is the only one who manages to escape somewhat unscathed.

There are a few moments that resonate like the story of the china doll.  And the finale is fun, especially the final tie-ins to the original Wizard of Oz movie.

Bottom Line:  Unless you are a big Wizard of Oz buff or love great visual effects, stay away.

Chick 2 says:

Overall Concept: B-   Saved a C by a slight twist at the end I actually didn’t see coming.  Otherwise, take Sparks’ same ole formula, insert new hot actors.  There is obviously something appealing about this tired old formula, because they keep making ‘em and we keep seeing ‘em.    

Acting:  B+  

Script: C    Sparks is not much for an in-depth backstory and wants to get straight to the luv.

Cinematography:  A    I always want to live in these charming Southern towns.

Hotness of Cast:  A++

Wardrobe: A   Realistic, but makes me want a coastal vacation.

Location/Setting:  A

Climax:  B-    Dramatic event without a lot of drama.

Chick 2:

Overall Concept:  A-  Messy and compelling

Acting: A  Bradley Cooper certainly equals Jennifer Lawrence’s award winning perfomance

Script: A-

Cinematography:  A

Hotness of Cast:  B

Wardrobe: A

Location/Setting:  A

Climax:  A   A little bumpy like the rest of it, but happy.

Chick 2 says:

Overall Concept:  A    A story worth telling. 

Acting: A+   

Script: A+

Cinematography:  A

Hotness of Cast:  Hmmm,  the 70’s ‘dos do nothing for them, but courage is hot.

Wardrobe: A    Made me flashback to my childhood.  (Production Design: A+)

Location/Setting:  A

Climax:  A    Got fingerprints on my glasses from covering my face.  (I should also add to this category – Opening: A    Horrifying, and current.)

Special Effects: A-

Chick 2 says:

Overall Concept: B    Such a huge event had to be made into a movie.

Acting: A    Officially award winning.  Very compelling.

Script: A-

Cinematography:  A

Hotness of Cast:  B

Wardrobe: A    Makes me want to buy aviators and camp shirts.

Location/Setting:  A

Climax:  B+    Very quiet, but maybe that’s appropriate.

Special Effects: A

Chick 2 says:

Overall Concept:  D    Nothing new here

Acting: C

Script: D    Was there one?

Cinematography:  C    Was this first a made-for-TV movie?  (Sorry, Dion Beebe)

Hotness of Cast:  Okay, A    Plenty to look at, including Crazy Stupid Reunited

Wardrobe: B

Location/Setting:  B

Climax:  C-

Special Effects: B

Chick 2 says:

Overall Concept:  A   Obviously a beloved classic

Acting:  A+   Brilliant performances by everyone

Script: A-    It’s a musical that covers an entire epic novel.  But the story is classic and moving.

Cinematography:  A-   Beautiful.  Gorgeous.  As well as the Art Direction.  But the missed focus caused by the shallowest of Depth of Field drove me crazy!

Hotness of Cast:  A    This is a tough one because this movie takes some beautiful people and makes them look as bad as they can.  But the beautiful singing voices coming from them remind you why they’re stars.

Wardrobe: A   I’m ready to go buy some French military jackets and pin a Vive La France badge to it.

Location/Setting:  A  I loved the sets and the painterly look of the backdrops.  These are the views we’ve seen of this historical time period and it felt like we were in a painting.

Climax:  B    There are several climaxes (epic novel) and each one is moving, but after you’ve cried through 5 or 6 of them you’re a little worn out.  The end shot is beautiful however.

Special Effects: A

Chick 1 says:

Confession: I’ve never seen Les Mis, not other movies, none of the stage productions, never even read the book.  So the plot was a complete unknown for me.  I was surprised at how much story there is and how quickly it moves along.  Even at almost 3 hours, it feels like we barely are introduced to one character or idea before we’re whisked along to the next scene.  (“Oh, she’s destitute already.  OK.”)  This doesn’t mean that there is no depth to the story; the music, acting and, filmmaking make sure you know each person well enough to care what happens to them.  But despite the brisk pace, it does at times seem a bit long.

The entire cast is strong.  At the center is Hugh Jackman as Valjean and he lends his sturdy shoulders to carry the story forward.  Anne Hathaway completely owns the smaller but pivotal role of Fantine.  The version of I Dreamed A Dream in the movie is not the heartbreaking one used in the trailer but an even better one.  And most of the song is one long take.  How many of those takes did she do?  Thinking about it makes me exhausted.  I also really liked Eddie Redmayne as Marius and Sacha Baron Cohen surprised me as Thenardier.  While Russell Crowe as Javert has a fine voice, it sometimes was not big enough for the music.

The sets, backdrops, and costumes are all beautifully done but for all its gritty realism, it is sometimes obvious they were shooting on a soundstage and not outdoors.  And the green screen backdrops are not the best I’ve seen either.

But of course the true stars of this tale are the music, the tragedy, and the redemption.  Les Mis is a fantastic look at the nature of Law and Grace as personified by Javert and Valjean.  In truth, both men deeply value justice but to Javert justice means punishment for wrongdoing and to Valjean it means the restoration of what has been stolen.  Bring your tissue and enjoy a good cry and some of the most astounding music you’ll ever hear!

Chick 1 says:

First off, Martin Freeman is fabulous.  It now seems rather obvious that he was meant to play Bilbo Baggins but two years ago, Peter Jackson was so convinced that he rearranged The Hobbit shooting schedule to accommodate Freeman’s Sherlock schedule.  Freeman brings so much complexity and charm, insecurity and common man sensibility, excuse me, hobbit sensibility to Bilbo that he continues to grow and grow right in front of you; as any great protagonist should.  Of course some of that credit should go to Tolkien himself, the screenwriters, and Jackson’s direction.  But it’s Freeman who wins our hearts on that huge screen.

Secondly, I may have found a musical theme that rivals the Indiana Jones theme.  Ya know the feeling you get when the Raiders theme punches up under the action and Indy starts doing his thing?  Well, I already associate that thrill with the dwarves and their Misty Mountain song.  First sung by the dwarves in Bilbo’s home and used in the trailer to give faithful fans goosebumps, it is used as an action soundtrack throughout whenever the dwarves starting kicking some ass.  And kick some ass they do!

After this you have a lovely little story populated by both familiar friends and enemies and quite a few new ones.  Naturally the visuals are stunning, combining layers and layers of real and CG footage to create stomach dropping camera moves.  And of course, the natural New Zealand landscape needs little embellishment!

Other shoutouts go to Richard Armitage, who somehow manages to make dwarves sexy, and the rest of the entourage who, like the Fellowship, hit all the right notes acting-wise.

If I have one complaint it is that The Hobbit should have been two movies instead of three.  There are places where it lags a bit especially in the first 30-45 minutes.  It does sometimes suffer from that “sequel curse”, seeming to rely on the audience’s affection for familiar characters and not getting on with the story.  But don’t let that put you off.  An Unexpected Journey is still worthy of a trip to the theater.  In fact, I’m already planning a second (or third) viewing.

There are thrills and laughter and surprises and reunions with dear friends and new friendships that surprise and inspiring feats and tears and best of all, the slow revelation of the simple courage that hobbits have buried within them.